Seven Life Lessons of Chaos: Timeless Wisdom from the Science of Change - Hardcover

John Briggs; F. David Peat

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060182466 ISBN 13: 9780060182465

Publisher: Harper, 1999

Synopsis

The predicament of all life is uncertainty.

While humans have had to deal with chaos since ancient times, only recent has science recognized it as a fundamental force in the universe.

Chaos, theory, originally used to understand the movements that create thunderstorms, raging rivers, and hurricanes, is now being applied to everything from medicine to warfare to social dynamics and theories about how organizations form and change. Chaos is evolving from a scientific theory into a cultural metaphor. As a metaphor it allows us to query some of our most cherished assumptions and encourages us to ask fresh questions about reality.

Our modern society has been obsessed with conquering and scientifically controlling the world around us. However, chaotic, nonlinear systems--such as nature, society, and our individual lives--lie beyond all our attempts to predict, manipulate, and control them. Chaos suggests that instead of resisting life's uncertainties, we should embrace the possibilities they offer.

In this groundbreaking new book, John Briggs and F. David Peat unfold seven lessons for embracing chaos in daily life:

1. Be Creative: how to engage with chaos to find imaginative new solutions and live more dynamically

2. Use Butterfly Power: how to let chaos grow local efforts into global results

3. Go with the Flow: how to use chaos to work collectively with others

4. Explore What's Between: how to discover life's rich subtleties and avoid the traps of stereotypes

5. See the Art of the World: how to appreciate the beauty of life's chaos

6. Live Within Time: how to utilize time's hidden depths

7. Rejoin the Whole: how to realize our fractal connectedness to each other and the world

If you ever felt your life was out of control and headed toward chaos, science has an important message: Life is chaos, and that's a very exciting thing.

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

While humans have had to deal with chaos since ancient times, only recently has science recognized it as a fundamental force in the universe.

Chaos theory, originally used to understand the movements that create thunderstorms, raging rivers, and hurricanes, is now being applied to everything from medicine to warfare to social dynamics and theories about how organizations form and change. Chaos is evolving from a scientific theory into a cultural metaphor. As a metaphor it allows us to query some of our most cherished assumptions and encourages us to ask fresh questions about reality.

Our modern society has been obsessed with conquering and scientifically controlling the world around us. However, chaotic, nonlinear systems - such as nature, society, and our individual lives - lie beyond all our attempts to predict, manipulate, and control them. Chaos suggests that instead of resisting life's uncertainties, we should embrace the possibilities they offer.

In this groundbreaking new book, John Briggs and F. David Peat unfold seven lessons for embracing chaos in daily life:

1. Be Creative: how to engage with chaos to find imaginative new solutions and live more dynamically.
2. Use Butterfly Power: how to let chaos grow local efforts into global results
3. Go with the Flow: how to use chaos to work collectively with others
4. Explore What's Between: how to discover life's rich subtleties and avoid the traps of stereotypes
5. See the Art of the World: how to appreciate the beauty of life's chaos
6. Live Within Time: how to utilize time's hidden depths
7. Rejoin the Whole: how to realize our fractal connectedness to each other and the world.

If you have ever felt your life was out of control and headed towards chaos, science has an important message: Life is chaos, and that's a very exciting thing.

From the Back Cover:

If you have ever felt your life was out of control and headed toward chaos, science has an important message: Life is chaos, and that's a very exciting thing!

In this eye-opening book, John Briggs and F. David Peat reveal seven enlightening lessons for embracing the chaos of daily life.

BE CREATIVE:

how to engage with chaos to find imaginative new solutions and live more dynamically

USE BUTTERFLY POWER:

how to let chaos grow local efforts into global results

GO WITH THE FLOW:

how to use cha to work collectively with others

EXPLORE WHAT'S BETWEEN:

how to discover life's rich subtleties and avoid the traps of stereotypes

SEE THE ART OF THE WORLD:

how to appreciate the beauty of life's chaos

LIVE WITHIN TIME:

how to utilize time's hidden depths

REJOIN THE WHOLE:

how to realize our fractal connectedness to each other and the world

About this edition

• Publisher: Harper
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0060182466
• ISBN 13: 9780060182465
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 224